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Nathan Hipple '09

Measuring the impact of generosity

In 2001, Peter and Phyllis Pruden established The Peter and Phyllis Pruden Scholarship to support academically distinguished students in the School of Education, concentrating in elementary education that show steady academic achievement and good character.  In 2007 they established another scholarship named the Peter D. Pruden, Jr. & Phyllis S. Pruden Endowed Scholarship.  Together those scholarships have helped fund the dreams of 16 students who were preparing to become elementary educators.  This year's scholarship recipient was Nathan Hipple.

Nathan comes from a family of educators.  His grandmother served as an administrator  and his mother is a teacher.  Nathan spent a lot of time hanging around school settings.  It was a place he grew up and enjoyed going to; it was his comfort zone. So the choice to become an Elementary teacher was easy. Associate Dean, Tom Ward said, "It is with this commitment to children that he is stepping up to the plate as a natural born leader to become a teacher and make a difference in their lives just as his mother and grandmother did for him."

Nathan graduated from William & Mary in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in government.  He is now pursuing a Masters degree with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.

Nathan said, "After graduation, I went to work for the York County Schools as a Speech/Language Assistant.  It was there that I realized what I want to be doing with my life.  I got to work hands on with elementary students from pre-k through 5th grade.  I've always loved to learn and it struck me that working in an elementary school would be the perfect way to share that love with the next generation.

"Thanks to the financial support I will be able to focus more squarely on making that goal a reality.  This scholarship has made a great difference in my life and I fully intend to use this opportunity to exert myself to the utmost and return the favor by making an impact in the lives of my future students for many, many years."